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“Izu, what the hell did you do?” Katsuki asked, barging into Izuku’s room.
“Huh?”
Katsuki halted in the doorway, staring at Izuku like he’d died and come back to life. Izuku looked down at his own hands to make sure they weren’t translucent.
“What. The. Fuck. Is that,” Katsuki said, pointing in the vague direction of Izuku’s head.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you,” Izuku said, smiling. He reached up and patted his own head, which felt a lot lighter now than it did before. “I got my haircut!”
His hair was now shorter on the sides and back, shaved down to almost a buzz, but the top was still long and curly. When he saw himself in the mirror for the first time, he was surprised by how much older he looked. Plus, now he didn’t need all the hair ties he’d been collecting.
“Hell no, put it back,” Katsuki said.
“What?”
“Did you at least take the receipt?”
“Kacchan!”
“I’m being so serious.”
Izuku peeked into the mirror that was hanging in the corner of his room. Did it really look that bad? He didn’t want to admit that his feelings were hurt, so he kept quiet, just shrugging in response. Katsuki seemed to take note of his new demeanor and stopped talking, leaning against the doorframe.
“You gave me a fucking heart attack,” Katsuki said.
“Why?”
“Because I walked by your fucking door and I thought you had a random ass cute guy in your room.”
“A… a what?”
“And I was pretty sure an apartment rule was that we have to mutually approve of guests, because of that one time that-”
“Okay, yes, wait, back up. Cute guy?” Izuku interrupted.
“No, who said that?” Katsuki muttered, backtracking.
“You did,” Izuku said. Or did he make that up in his head, just because it’s what he wanted to hear?
“I think you’re hearing things.” No, Katsuki definitely said it.
“Whatever, continue,” Izuku said, moving on. He didn’t want to get his hopes up.
“I don’t fucking remember what I was saying,” Katsuki mumbled. “Anyway, your hair is fine. You just look different.”
Katsuki must have caught on to Izuku’s initial disappointment. He was right, though, Izuku looked very different, even to himself. Glancing in the mirror was like getting a glimpse of a whole new person. He’d never had his hair this short, ever. In his entire lifetime of living, his hair has always been out of control. It was too much of a hassle now, with his job and life in general.
“I just miss the, like,” Katsuki started, fumbling over his words. It was unusual to see him this disoriented. “The uh… curls.” Izuku nodded.
“Yeah, me too, that’s why I kept the top long. Wanna feel? They detangled them,” Izuku said, tilting his head forward so Katsuki could reach. He shook his head a little bit, almost like a dog coming out of the water. Katsuki snorted, but came closer anyway and ran his fingers through his hair.
A shiver went down Izuku’s spine. Katsuki’s fingers were threaded into his hair, doing a lot more than feeling his curls. It was more of a scalp massage, and Izuku definitely wasn’t going to complain about it. It took everything in him not to audibly sigh and lean into the touch further.
Katsuki’s hand finally pulled away, and Izuku noticed the faint, unfamiliar blush on his cheeks.
“That’s really fucking soft,” Katsuki said.
“Yeah, they used some fancy detangler, I think,” Izuku laughed. “It took a long ass time, too.”
“That really doesn’t surprise me. Did they convince you to buy the probably-overpriced detangler?” Katsuki asked.
“No,” Izuku replied. “I figured you could point me in the right direction.” Katsuki was definitely blushing. Izuku wasn’t sure if he was reading the room right, so he backed off a little. He laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling instead of dwelling on it.
“I think you need a haircut, Kacchan,” Izuku said.
“Really?” Katsuki asked, his hand flying up to comb through his own hair. His momentary panic made Izuku laugh.
“No, but we could totally match. Or you could get a buzz cut,” Izuku said, bursting out in giggles at the mental image of Katsuki with a buzz cut. He could see the horror in Katsuki’s eyes.
“Absolutely fucking not,” Katsuki said.
“Why? You could rock a smooth head.”
“That is a hilarious fucking joke.”
“It wasn’t a fucking joke, actually, it was a hair joke. I can make a fucking joke, if you want,” Izuku jabbed.
“Okay.”
“Huh?”
“Tell me a fucking joke then,” Katsuki deadpanned. Izuku didn’t actually have a “fucking joke” prepared. His memory was jogged by something that he had unfortunately read a few weeks ago.
“Uh, what’s the difference between anal and oral sex?” Katsuki cringed.
“Do I want to know?”
“Oral makes your whole day, and anal makes your hole weak.”
Silence. And then-
“Are you speaking from experience?” Katsuki asked, and Izuku could see the laughter and curiosity in his gaze.
“No! I mean, no! No, I am not! Uh, no. I am not,” Izuku stammered.
“You’re a fucking liar.” Katsuki was grinning now.
“I may be a liar, but you’re a… bitch.”
“I am so offended right now,” Katsuki said sarcastically.
“Good, my evil plan is working,” Izuku said, hoping to reroute the conversation to a subject that didn’t involve his sex life. Katsuki puffed out his cheeks, looking like he wanted to say more, but was holding back.
“Back to the haircut,” Katsuki said instead.
“Yeah,” Izuku replied. But the conversation didn’t continue, and Katsuki spun around abruptly and walked out of his room. The doorway felt empty without him standing in it.
He left Izuku alone with his thoughts, which had never been Izuku's favorite thing. His mind never stops turning, and turning, and turning, until it’s spinning so fast he can’t actually register a single thought. He was a chronic over-thinker, even on the days he pretended he wasn’t. It was a whirlwind of constant threads that were twisting and knotting, and now they were so condensed he couldn’t untie them. He didn’t even know where to start.
His cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he hid his face in his hands and tried not to tear up, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from breaking down. It’s not like Katsuki insulted him, or told him that he hated him. But the way he left without a word made Izuku shake with worry.
Izuku went to the doorway, intent on grabbing the handle and pulling the door closed, but he caught Katsuki fidgeting as he laid on the couch, petting the cat. Katsuki looked up and they made eye contact, and Izuku raised his hand in a mini wave, smiling. Katsuki shot him a closed-mouth smile back. Izuku wandered over, putting the past conversation out of his mind, and sat on the other side of Kazu.
“The next episode?” Katsuki asked, gesturing to the TV. Kazu purred between them before curling up in Izuku’s lap. His heart warmed.
“Sure, whatever you want.”